Things Don't Always Go As Planned
by Patronizing
Summary: When Princess Katara meets Lee, he informs her that her Dad, King Hakoda, is planning on seeing her married to Prince Zuko, in a month. So she comes up with a plan, that will run Zuko out of her country, but things don't always go as planned. Zutara!
1. Chapter 1: Misery

**(A/N: This is just something I wrote because I love masquerades, ball gowns and a Zutara/Blutara Pairing! xD  
Please Review, and enjoy!  
****Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA****).**

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**Chapter 1: Misery**

Princess Katara looked up at the sky. The stars were twinkling. They looked like the loveliest diamonds money could ever buy, but burned a thousand times brighter. It was a full moon. The chilly night air made her shiver. She was standing in the middle of a garden maze. The high green, leafy walls kept her from seeing anything but the sky.

She had just escaped from the Masquerade Ball. Seeing all those couples dancing happily together made her feel lonely. She was glad now, because she could no longer hear the happy chatter, or the loud music. It was _her _eighteenth birthday party, after all. She didn't even want a celebration. She blamed her misery on her father. He was the one who insisted she have the damn party. She begged and pleaded but there was no use changing his mind. It had taken a few months to get this useless party ready. Three months, to be precise. Three months that the poor maids had wasted their time on. What was the use of having one if its host ran away? She knew her father would scold her later, but at the moment she didn't care.

She picked up her dress and continued her walk out of the maze. She had to admit, there was one advantage to having that treacherous party. The beautiful gown she was wearing now. The dress was made from three materials; a patterned gold material, a patterned cream, and a plain cream. It had the finishing touches of the prettiest white laces. Her gown reached the floor, and its sleeves were three-quarters, reaching just past her elbows. There was white lace added to the end of the sleeves. The top's neckline was square shaped and outlined with the white lace as well. She had a bronze coloured mask to go with the dress. It covered only her eyes and her nose, leaving her forehead and the bottom half of her face uncovered. The eye holes were outlined in black and on the top, right hand side of her mask, were attached three back feathers. The colours went really well with her mocha coloured skin and dark brown hair. She had designed the dress herself.

When she got to the end of the maze she could see a circular shaped clearing ahead. The minute she made it out, she could see that the place was a garden. In the centre was a round, beautiful fountain. Surrounding it was a concrete path which leads in different directions of the garden. There were rose bushes outlining the shape of the path and one lone tree located further back. Two statues were placed on either side of the small garden. There was a tall leafy wall, much like the one that made the maze, which fenced the garden. The place was stunning. She had never seen this side of the palace, and she had certainly never been through the maze. If she ever wanted to be alone, she decided that this would be the place she'd go.

She started walking towards the fountain. The peaceful sound of the falling water brought ease to the waterbender's mind. She felt so relaxed, and happy despite feeling alone and angry earlier. There was a gorgeous metal bench in front of the large fountain. The silver coloured seat was decorated with flower shaped carvings. It was very pretty. Katara carefully sat down, hoping that no damage would come to the dress. She stared up at the moon again and sighed, feeling content.

"Excuse me, but what's a pretty young lady like you, doing out here with no escort?" Katara froze when she heard the man's question. She turned her head in the direction of his voice. The man didn't sound much older than herself, maybe around the age of her brother or slightly older. He was standing beside the tree, hidden by its shadows, probably why she hadn't noticed him.

"I'm not in the celebrating mood," He started to take a few steps towards her, and now stood under the moons light. The blue and white mask caught her attention first. It covered his whole face. She could tell, even from here, that he was taller than her brother. He wasn't lanky like Sokka either. His shoulders were broad and he stood proud, pushing his chest outwards. His hands were behind his back. The suit, vest and neck tie he wore was gold, with a black collared shirt. It looked strange next to his mask. "And I certainly don't need an escort," she mumbled quietly to herself.

"And why not?" he started to ask, before she could reply he continued to talk, "It's your princess' birthday."

She stared at him for what seemed like forever. How could this man not know who she was? Sure, she was wearing a mask but everyone knew it was her. One by one people made their way to where she was standing and congratulated her. She didn't even know _how_ they knew, just that they _did_ know. Surely it was some sort of joke. She released she had been staring for a while and still hadn't given him an answer. She was trying to recall what he had said when she realised something.

"Your?" She questioned, "Why not our? Is she not your Princess?" She was puzzled. _Who_ was this guy?

"No... I may have been invited to this party, along with Prince Zuko, but I live on the opposite side of the world." He paused for a second, letting his works sink in. "King Hakoda invited his majesty to attend the princess' birthday celebration."

Wait, _Majesty_? _Prince _Zuko?Why would her father invite a prince that lived on the opposite side of the world to _her_ birthday celebration? She may have not known everyone at her party, _but other side of the world? _

_Just what are you up to father?_ She thought.

"Who _are_ you?" She decided to ask one question at a time. What did her father think he was doing, asking complete strangers to come to her birthday celebration? She was going to have a word with him as soon as this damn ball was over, if it ever ended. Was there nothing good that was going to come out of this night?

He hesitated for a second, "My name is Lee, madam. I am one of Prince Zuko most trusted servants. He asked me to accompany him in his travels, since I was invited to come too. We will be staying at the palace for a month."

"A month? Why?" More questions for her to think about. Perfect.

"I will answer, when you give me your name," He came a bit closer to her, now standing beside the fountain. He looked towards the fountain for a moment, before taking a seat on its edge. "I gave you mine. It's only fair."

Name? Name! What was she supposed to tell him? She did not want to reveal that she was the princess, not to this stranger. So what name could she use?

"My name is Tara," She replied in a steady tone. She couldn't think of a better name. It was a shortened version of her name. Her mother, Kya, always called her by the nickname. She was familiar with it, and recognised it as her own name. She just hoped it wasn't too suspicious.

"And what are you to the princess? Why did you get an invitation?" Hey! He was supposed to be answering her questions! Not the other way around!

"Oh, no, no, no, you're answering my questions first. I gave you my name, now answer," she crossed her arms over her chest. Her relaxed mood gone, now replaced by annoyance. Who did this guy think he was? He was a mere servant, but he sure wasn't acting like one. He wasn't getting away from her questions that easily! Why did he not want to answer in the first place?

"Why, King Hakoda asked us to stay of course," He cheerfully replied. Why would her father do that? WHAT WAS GOING ON?! She stood up from her seat and walked towards the servant, and stopped, standing directly in front of him.

"Alright, listen, and listen _carefully_," She said whilst pointing a finger at his chest. "You are going to tell me _everything_. You will answer _every_ question I ask, and you will start talking _now_," she hoped she sounded threatening; after all, she was going to be the future Queen of her Kingdom.

He stood up now too, and she backed away. They were only mere inches apart. "I don't know who you think you are, or what makes you think you have a right to question me," he was so close, she could feel heat coming off him. Well, what do ya know, the jerk was a firebender. "I'm not answering anything!"

"I have every right!" she replied hotly. "Now answer me! What's the reason your prince is here, and give me a proper answer. He can't be staying here for a month, all because of a darn birthday!" She heard a sharp crack, and looked past his shoulder, to the fountain. The water stood frozen, icicles were mere inches away from Lee's back.

When he saw her look away from him, and then watched as her eyes widened, he turned to see what her attention was focussed on. There stood a tall amount of frozen water, surrounded by very sharp looking icicles. The closest one to him grazed his mask when he turned and he found himself really glad that the mask was on.

The water then melted rapidly and moved away from him and the fountain's edge. It returned to its natural peaceful movement. She was a waterbender. The Kingdom wasn't known for many waterbenders. The only one he had known about was the Princess. She couldn't be the Princess. Sure she acted like she was in charge, but what kind of Princess would hate her own celebration? It couldn't be. It was too impossible.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to get that angry," He turned to face her once again. Her eyes looked sincere enough. Not like he thought she was going to kill him or anything.

"You're a waterbender? I thought there weren't much people from your Kingdom that could waterbend," He voiced his earlier thoughts out loud.

"There isn't," she was truly, an idiot. Did she just blow her cover? She tried to think of an answer that would sound good enough. "I, er, kept my waterbending a secret, until now. I let my temper get the best of me," That sounded good enough. It wasn't so easy for her to lie. "Now, quit asking your own questions and answer mine."

"I don't have to tell you anything," He repeated coldly.

_Ugh!_ She thought. _This guy is impossible! Absolutely impossible! _She sighed and tried a calm approach.

"I could have you arrested," she said in a much softer voice, "Can you please just answer the questions, it is very important that I know, especially if it is concerning the Princess."

"What are you, some sort of royal messenger? Informing the princess about information you get out of one of her guest's? Are you harassing the other guests as well?" he asked.

"The other guests didn't arrive with princes' staying at the palace for a month!" Ok, so a calm approach wasn't working with him either. _Fine!_ She thought. _No more being nice girl! _"I will freeze you to that tree and make sure you get frostbite! Now answer! This will be the last time I'm going to tell you to answer me! If you don't then I'll-I'll..."

"Fine," he said cutting her off. "Just keep that darn water away from me!" She crossed her arms across her chest and waited for him to begin speaking.

"King Hakoda invited him because..." He mumbled the last part quietly.

"I'm sorry? Repeat that will you." She snapped. He was so annoying!

"He is hoping that the Prince and the Princess would fall in love and get married. He wants a strengthening of the two kingdoms and he thinks that his daughter could find no better man," He said proudly. She was silent. She didn't look like she heard any of it. She stood there, frozen. "That enough information for you?" he asked cautiously.

"HOW DARE HE?! WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS, SENDING HIS ONLY DAUGHTER AWAY LIKE THAT! SHE IS NOT GOING TO MARRY SOME PRINCE JUST TO STRENGTHEN TWO KINGDOMS! THAT'S UNHEARD OF! THERE ARE PLENTY OF GOOD MEN OUT THERE, JUST BECAUSE HE'S THE PRINCE. THE TITLE DOESN'T AUTOMATICLY MEAN THAT HE IS THE BEST MAN OUT THERE! FOR ALL SHE KNOWS HE COULD BE AN UGLY, ABSUSSIVE MORON!" If she was angry before, she was fuming now.

"PRINCE ZUKO, AN UGLY, ABUSSIVE MORON?! WHY HE IS NO SUCH THING! HOW DARE YOU?!"

"I'M GOING TO FIND HER BEFORE SHE FINDS THAT DARN PRINCE! WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS THAT PRINCE CHARMING WANNABE!" she was pacing angrily now. How could her father do this to her! She was not going to marry the stupid Prince! _I know._ She thought, as an idea came to her mind. _I'll just drive him away, get him so angry that he'll want to leave and never return! Then I could marry who ever I want! _What an awesome plan! Why didn't she think of it earlier?

"What?! Prince Charming WANNABE?! He doesn't need to be "Prince Charming", he's charming enough. All the girls faint when they cross his path, and he doesn't even need to do anything! He never pays attention to those stupid girls anyway! It wasn't like he wanted to be the Prince or the future King!" She stopped and looked at him.

"How would you know how he feels?" she asked him.

"I, uh, well... Prince Zuko and I are very close! Yeah, that's it! He tells me all his secrets and thoughts! I accompany him everywhere! So, of course I would know everything about him!" He rambled on, making her very suspicious. She didn't have time for this.

"Right... Well I have to go. It was _nice_ meeting you Lee," She said the last part sarcastically. She turned and walked away from him, with as much grace as a lady should when she walks.

* * *

Zuko just stood there, watching her leave. When she was no longer in view, he walked backwards towards the leafy fencing and climbed over. He then ran as fast as he could, back in the direction of the castle. When he entered its large double doors, he saw that the place was still crowded. He had to get to his assigned room. He didn't want to bump into that girl again. She could ask him to point out which one the Prince was, which could be a problem.

As he pushed his way through the dancing crowd, he wondered which masked woman was the Princess. He wondered if she was beautiful. Did she have the same colour cerulean eyes like her big brother? Was she tall or short? Was she ugly? Was that the reason her father wanted to get rid of her? Well, it didn't sound like he wanted to get rid of her anyway. Prince Sokka had informed him that the same thing was had happened to him. It was how he and Princess Yue had met. They fell in love rather fast. He sounded rather happy just speaking of their relationship. Could he be happy with his sister? Would he love her? Would she love him back?

He reached the stairs and walked up hastily. This palace was so different to his home. He went through the palace corridors, trying to remember the way to his room. When he found the room, he turned his knob and entered, closing the door behind him. Zuko removed his mask and threw it on his large bed. He stood there for a second, trying to calm himself, then made his way to the bed. The room was huge. It was in shades of blue, grey, white and silver. It was very different from his home. There, the Kingdom's colours were red, gold and black.

He took a seat on the bed. What was he supposed to do tomorrow? Try to impress her? What if she hated him from the start? What would that lady, Tara, be filling her head with? What if she lied to the Princess, and made him sound horrible? What if he did end up loving her? Would she give him a chance? Was she nice like her brother?

Sitting there and thinking about the many possibilities that this could turn out, was doing him no good. He got up and strolled to his wardrobe. He dressed in his night attire and got into bed, shutting his eyes and waiting for sleep to claim him.

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**(A/N: So they both lied, no harm done. The masked man was Prince Zuko, but she doesn't know that. xD Don't they both suck at lying? I was trying to make the dress code date back to the 1800's. Sorta. When I upload her dress on Deviantart, go check it out! Don't forget to review! And thanks for reading!)**


	2. Chapter 2: Not so Innocent

**A/N: Thx to everyone who reviewed, added the story to their favourites or alerts. Here's Chapter 2!)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA. **

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**Chapter 2: Not so Innocent.**

Katara awoke quite early the next morning. The little amounts of sun beams shone through the satin curtains of her large four-poster bed, giving her the slightest amount of vision. In truth, when she told Lee she was looking for the "Princess", she went to look for her father. She wanted to know exactly who this preposterous prince was. She got out of bed just in time to see her maid, Akemi, open the curtains of the large balcony window. Maybe it wasn't as early as she thought then.

Akemi turned towards her and smiled. "Good morning, Princess. I'm glad that you awoke by yourself. I know it is still rather early. I thought I would have to get you up this morning."

"Akemi, were you asked to wake me earlier than usual?" Katara asked her, strolling to the door where her large bathroom was. She stood there and waited for the maid to answer.

"Yes, Princess. The King wants you to look your best, so he sent for us earlier today. The bath is already heated and prepared. Go on now, don't waste any time. You have a special guest at the palace. Your father wants you to meet him." _And marry him_, Katara mentally added. She scowled at the door, not wanting Akemi to see her face. She knew exactly who her "special guest" was. Ugh! She was going to kill her father when she found him! She did not want to be all pampered and pretty for that stupid Prince! They were probably going to make her wear her best clothes, the prettiest make-up she owned, and have her hair styled down, because it looked best on her. Everyone was taking control over _her_ life! She couldn't believe this! _Why me?_ She asked herself miserably. She walked into her bathroom and slammed the door shut. Akemi jumped from surprise.

"Princess," she asked cautiously. "Is something the matter?" she raised her voice, so that Katara could hear her.

"No!" Katara yelled back. "Everything is absolutely perfect!" she told her sarcastically. Another door opened, and three maids walked in.

Akemi looked at the three. "Go and help her prepare will you," She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, trying to concentrate. "Best clothes, make-up, and hair down. She has to look stunning. The Prince won't know what hit him." They nodded then turned away from the head maid, walked to the bathroom and entered, quietly shutting the door behind them.

Akemi walked out of the Princess' chamber. She would check up on the Princess later, right now she had a Prince to visit. She sighed and started walking through the corridors. When she reached his door she knocked. "Prince Zuko, I am the maid, Akemi. May I enter your highness?"

* * *

Zuko woke up when he heard the knocking. He was a light sleeper, so he heard the noise straight away. He listened to her talk. It was the maid. "Yes," he called out. "You may enter."

He watched the door, as a middle aged lady walked in. She smiled. Her eyes showed that she was a nice, friendly person.

"Good morning, your highness. Sorry to disturb you at this early hour, but King Hakoda asked for you to look your best this morning." Zuko jumped upright. He was meeting the Princess today! He hurriedly got out of bed. Akemi saw his panic, she smiled softly. "I will call a few servants to help you prepare, your highness."

"Thank you," he told her, as he started to get his best clothes and armour out of the wardrobe he was given. Akemi nodded and walked out of the room. He went back and sat on his bed once again. He covered his face with his hands. This was it, the day he was going to decide what to do with the Princess. There was a knock on his door. Zuko looked up to see three male servants standing there.

"Good morning, your majesty," one said and all three men bowed. "We will be assisting you this morning." He turned to the man on his right.

"Daichi," he said. "Go and prepare the Prince's bath." He turned to the other. "Raidon, you can go assist Daichi." The two turned and went to the bathroom. When they walked in, he turned his attention to the Prince. "You will be needing your best clothes, your highness."

"I know," he pointed to the pile he had pulled out of his wardrobe earlier.

"Good," the man said with a smile. "What will happen later is that, you will be introduced to our Princess, and she, to you. Then you are to go and eat breakfast with the Royals." He paused. "You are one lucky man," he told the Prince.

"And why am I lucky?" he asked questionably.

"Sire, the Princess Katara, she is beautiful," he folded his hands behind his back and continued talking. "She's passionate, loving, and strong." He breathed out, his gaze distracted. "She's a waterbending warrior, mastered her element at the age of fourteen. She always speaks her opinion, and will never give up on anything, always trying her hardest to make things right. She will make a fine queen one day," he concluded proudly.

Beautiful? Strong? Passionate? She sounded amazing. Maybe he was lucky. The bathroom door opened, and the two servants walked out. Both of them had mischievous smiles spread across their faces. It seems they had heard what the other servant had said about Katara.

"Yes," Daichi added, grinning. "If she marries you, then you truly are going to be one lucky man." He turned his gaze to the oldest servant. "Didn't you wish that she married you, Taku?" He blushed and said a quick 'no'. Raidon sniggered, and then turned to Zuko.

"Your bath is ready, you highness." He said, bowing down.

"Thank you," the Prince told them. He got up and walked into the bathroom.

* * *

Katara's maids spent the whole time working on her look. They combed her hair, painting her nails, and got her best gown ready. They scrubbed every inch of her body. She still felt the heat of the scrubbing and exfoliating against her skin. She noticed that the dress her maids had picked out was one she had never worn before. Her eyebrows furrowed. The whole palace was probably going to think she was trying to impress him. It would look like she got a whole new wardrobe, filled with many things that would make her look her best. Though, it was the complete opposite. She wanted to scare him away. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to have the craziest make-up applied to her face or dress in fake-blooded rags. Surely, if she looked crazy, he would run away. She wanted to fake an illness. Anything was better than meeting his royal pain. After finishing her nails and hair, they helped her with her dress, and then started to apply the make-up. The youngest maid fastened her mother's chocker around her neck and placed a pair of quartz-stoned, dangly earrings in her left hand. When they were finished with everything, she lifted herself from the seat and walked towards her large, oval shaped mirror.

"You look beautiful, Princess," one told her, as the other two nodded.

She _did_ look beautiful, more beautiful than she had ever seen herself. The make-up her maids applied was natural, making her eyes stand out, much to her disappointment. The dress she wore was the same colour as her eyes, with parts that were silver white and dark blue. The gown reached also reached the floor, like all the other dresses she owned, but this one had a small trail. The dress's top was off the shoulder, the sleeves positioned from the arm's cap to short. Its sleeves had a puffy look to it, silk covered by a plain blue, sheer fabric. The dress was made from silk, the fabric was plain. It had a large, dark blue sapphire gem in the middle of the top's neckline. On each side of the large gem were smaller blue gems, placed all in a row across the neckline. There were even smaller diamonds randomly placed on the dress' skirt. It was simple, yet exquisite in some places.

She looked at her hair next. Parts of her hair were fastened up by dark blue sapphire gemmed pins. The remaining hair hung loose and straight. She had three braids coming out of the pinned section of her hair, each hung down onto the straight, loose hair. Though, she couldn't see it. The maids had explained the style to her earlier.

Katara slowly breathed in and out trying to calm her nerves. She was _not_ looking forward to the day ahead.

"I am ready," she announced, the maids nodded and lead her out of the room. They were meeting her father, Sokka and the Prince in the courtyard. She was informed that while they were all walking together, the servants would prepare a table of food for the royals. They were eating breakfast outside today. It made her happy, the change in atmosphere they made for the location of the dining table. She was relieved that at least she would be able to breathe in the cool air, instead of being cramped in a room. The dining room wasn't being small though, but she still liked the idea of dining somewhere different. Her maids were telling her some other stuff too, but she wasn't listening. She was picturing how today would go. She sighed. It was going to be a _very_ long day.

* * *

The early sun rays shone down and onto the two men, where Prince Zuko and Prince Sokka stood side by side. They were in the middle of the courtyard. The two talked about everything and anything that popped into their minds. Hakoda stood watching them from a distance, shaded by the large tree behind him. In his opinion, the two got along splendidly. He just hoped that Katara and the Prince would get along too. He wondered what his only daughter would say to him. His daughter had, in fact, always liked meeting new people. When she was younger, she travelled the world.

He also liked the Prince, just like Sokka. Hopefully his daughter will appreciate all the trouble he had gone through, for him to able to get the Prince here. He was open with the boy, told him everything about his stay. He informed him that he wanted a strengthening between the two kingdoms by marrying his daughter. The Prince would be good for his daughter. He was glad that she didn't know the real reason the Prince was here. She wouldn't let him utter a word if she did know. She would never give the prince a chance if she knew.

* * *

Zuko had been waiting there for a while now. He prepared himself in a hurry, eager to see the Princess he might marry. He was the first one to arrive at the courtyard. He sat under the tree whilst waiting for everyone else, until Sokka came. The Prince told him that his sister would be coming any minute now. They stood there and chatting while waiting.

"I have an uncle back home," Zuko started to say. "He's obsessed with tea. I don't think there's a tea flavour my uncle hasn't tried." Sokka sniggered.

Sokka was about to say something in reply, when they heard a female giggle. Both men turned their heads towards the sound. Zuko's eyes widened and his mouth gaped open. Walking towards them were three maids and at the front centre was the Princess. She was absolutely stunning, the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She walked with such a grace, her back upright. Her hands were folded in front of her, instead of hanging loosely by her sides. To him, she looked more like a queen, a proud ruler, than a princess. If it weren't for her young looking, heart shaped face; he would have mistaken her for a queen, any day.

She didn't gaze up towards him, not once. He looked down to her hands again and noticed that they were slightly moving. She was fidgeting. He nerves never left him, but she looked more anxious than he did.

"Katara," her father said, strolling towards her with his arms outstretched. She looked up at her father, her face was a stoic mask and he finally saw her eyes. Those eyes looked so gorgeous, they were a prettier shade of blue, just a bit lighter in colour compared to her brother's. They were big and bright with an extra sparkle in them too. Her dark brown locks were lifted away from her face, and her dress showed off her nice womanly curves. Much to his liking, her shoulders were bare, showing more of her mocha coloured skin. The dress was tightly fitted around the upper waist, its skirt flaring outwards. She was skinny and tall. The jewels on her dress sparkled, much like her eyes, every time she took at step, and a side of the gem caught the sun's light.

"Father, I need to speak with you." She urgently told the King. Her voice was like music to his ears. It was the sound of the most wonderful chime. How could this woman possibly be human? She was more of an angel.

"Daughter, must it be this minute? I still haven't introduced you to our guest." She still didn't look in his direction.

"Yes, father, it must." She replied in a calm voice. She didn't even let him answer. She grabbed one of his hands and led him away from everyone, as further as she could take him. The maids followed her, and she saw this from the corner of her eye.

"Leave us," she told them.

* * *

"Katara, that was quite rude. Firstly, you didn't even look in the direction of the guest neither acknowledge his presence. Then you drag me here without even greeting anyone."

"Stop it, father," she placed her hands on her hips, face scowled in anger. "Where were you last night?" she asked him.

"You dragged me away from anyone just to as-..." he hissed at her.

"That's not all!" she shouted, cutting him off. "I'm not marrying him!" he stiffened. She knew.

"Katara..." he said softly. A tear fell down her face but she didn't wipe it away, she didn't seem to notice its presence. He reached out a hand to wipe the tear, but she lightly smacked it away.

"No," she said quietly, her voice broken. "How could you do this to me?" she asked him sadly. Before he could answer she started talking again. "I found out of a servant, Father, A SERVANT!" her voice got louder. He still didn't answer.

"Send him away," she cast her gaze down, and closed her eyes. "I don't want to see him, not now, not ever."

"Katara, listen to me," he started, grabbing her chin in his hand, so that she look at him. "Give this boy a chance. I know he will be good to you,"

"But-" she interrupted, but he cut her off.

"And I know that he can make you happy. I'm not making you marry him. As your King, I'm asking you to do this for our nation, but as your father, I'm asking you that you do this for yourself. Katara, remember how happy Sokka and Yue are. I bet every gold piece I have, that you will just as happy as they are with this man as your husband, if not, then even more happier." She smiled kindly at her.

"I'm not marrying him," she repeated softly.

"You can start by introducing yourself, young lady."

She took a step back, away from him. "Father, I swear to you, if you don't send him away, I will try my hardest to make him run far, far away from here." Her tone was much colder than before.

"See, the reason I chose him of all princes, is because he is just as stubborn as you are. You won't be able to make him run, Katara. I won't allow you to do such a thing, just give him a chance, child."

She said nothing, and turned away from him. She started walking in the direction of her brother and the Prince. _She better not start anything_. He thought to himself, walking after her.

* * *

Zuko and Sokka watched the exchange, not speaking a single word. It was clear that the two were arguing. Zuko continued to watch as she turned around and started to make her way towards them. Her gaze was still cast downwards. _Why won't she look at me_? He thought.

When she was standing in front of them, Katara lifted her gaze from the ground to look at her brother. "Sokka," she said, nodding her head, her eyes then turned towards Zuko and her breathe got caught in her throat. She did a double take. This was the prince?

He was tall, and looked clearly muscular, even with the armour on. His skin was pale, the ivory colour, and his hair was soft black. But the scar across his left eye caught her attention first. And then she looked into his eyes. Looking into his golden orbs, she felt like he could see right through her very soul. His eyes were kind, and he was clearly handsome, even with the scar. She started at him, for what seemed like forever to her.

Sokka cleared his throat, and she broke her gaze away from him. "Katara, this is Prince Zuko." She looked back into his eyes and curtseyed, head bowed down.

"Prince Zuko," she repeated softly, but mostly to herself. "Welcome to our home your highness." She stood up straight once again. A hand was placed on her shoulder. She turned her head and saw her father, standing behind her. His eyes told her she wasn't to try anything funny. But she had better ideas. As soon as they were to be left alone, she would make his day hell.

She innocently smiled at the three. "Shall we go to breakfast?" King Hakoda asked them.

"We shall," said Katara, turning away from the men and walking away. The table was set up in a different courtyard. As soon as her back was to them, her smile faded, her face changed into an angry glare.

She would show them. They couldn't control her life! She wouldn't do anything in front of her father. That was for sure. She hoped that the Prince wouldn't stay for a month. She worried that it if he did, it would be enough time for her to fall for him, which was _so_ not good. She mentally cursed every Prince out there, for wrecking the lives of so many other Princesses' like herself.


	3. Chapter 3: Eventful Morning

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait guys! A lot has happened, I hope that you're all still with me!  
Dear Reviewers, I Love You All. :D  
****miss quirky bookworm****: You'll just have to keep reading and find out. News of the war will be shown in the up-coming chapters.  
****R.I.P John Wisniewski. You were too young to die.****  
I will upload next chapter as soon as possible. Thx again for reviews, guys! Here's Chapter 3!**

**Chapter 3: Eventful Morning.**

Sokka watched as his sister lead them to the outdoor dining table. It was in another courtyard, but he didn't mind the short walk through the gardens. Katara may have been smiling on the outside, but he knew better. He could tell, just by looking at the way the muscles in her back were tensed while she walked, that she did not like this one bit. She was stubborn, and fought for what she believed in. She wouldn't let their father marry her off to some prince. But he liked Zuko, a lot. In fact, he already saw the Prince as a friend, and in a month's time, maybe even a brother. The Prince was only one year older than himself. And like his father, Sokka also thought that the Zuko would be good for his sister.

Sokka didn't even recognise Katara when she walked into their view. She looked so beautiful. He saw the way the Prince looked at her. Zuko couldn't even keep his eyes off his sister! Luckily, the Prince broke off his dreamy gaze before she looked towards him. He was cool and collected by then. Sokka inwardly grinned when his sister did a double take. He thought that maybe things wouldn't be so hard. Then as he watched her face he noticed that his sister did not seem as she appeared. She was playing innocent. He knew that every dazzling smile she gave them was faked and her voice was carefully controlled when she spoke. But Sokka had known a lot about his sister in the eighteen years she had lived and he had learned to read her like an open book. She probably had their dad convinced, but he sure wasn't. He made a decision then that he would not leave the two alone once their dad had left, depending on how things went of course. Who knew what she would do if he left the two alone.

As they entered the courtyard, the servants looked up at them, and then they all bowed. They lead Katara to her seat, since she was in front of everyone else and seated her in the middle seat of the wider side of the table. Her father was then lead to the head of the table, and the prince in front of his sister.

"Right this way Your Highness," A servant was watching him, and broke his concentration on the others. He allowed the man to lead him to his seat, which happened to be next to Katara. Four high ranking generals then appeared, two taking a seat on each side of the prince, the youngest next to Katara and the most important general was seated at the other end of the table, facing their king.

They all turned towards King Hakoda and he told everyone to begin eating, Sokka being the first to reach out and grab something.

"Generals," Hakoda started. "As you all know, this is Prince Zuko of the Fire Kingdom. His Majesty will be staying at the palace with us for a month." The generals nodded their heads in understanding.

"Welcome, Prince Zuko of the Fire Kingdom," General Cheng told him, whilst the others nodded a second time. "We hope that you enjoy your visit to the Southern Water Kingdom and also that you shall return one day."

"It's good to be here General," Prince Zuko replied politely.

"So Prince Zuko, what's it like in the Fire Kingdom?" All heads turned towards the seat on Katara's right, where the young general, Yuki, sat.

"Well," Zuko looked down from the prying eyes to think about what he was going to say. "It's much hotter than it is here." He finished lamely.

"I guess that's why they call it the Fire Kingdom," King Hakoda joked. The older men laughed, while the younger ones looked at one another.

Katara watched Zuko eat his breakfast, as he sat there with an engrossed expression on his pale scared face. She had to think of ways to annoy or embarrass him. An idea suddenly came to her. She extended her right leg and flicked it as hard as she could in the direction of where she thought the Prince's leg was, a pleased grin crossing her face when she reached her aim. A slightly muffled "Ouch!" was heard, followed by the screeching of his chair as he moved it backwards. All heads turned towards the sudden commotion. Katara looked away first and slightly turned her head in her father's direction. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. A servant made his way to the Prince.

"Sire, are you alright?" Katara's focus returned Zuko and she saw that he was watching her, his eyes squinting dangerously. She returned a dazzling smile.

"Yea, Prince Zuko, are you alright?" she asked, sounding sincere.

"I'm fine," he gave a slight cough and pushed his seat forward and back into its original spot. The others, clearly not caring about what had just broken the peaceful silence, returned to eating their breakfast. On the other hand, Katara and Zuko kept eyeing each other.

Zuko broke the eye contact first, reaching for his hot tea. He brought the china cup up to his face, sniffing at the teas aroma, and started to drink it down. Katara grinned once again, opening her mouth in a small 'o' shape and then breathing out a small whiff of cold air, freezing the contents of his cup.

Zuko almost cried out as the now cold tea froze on the tip of his tongue. He couldn't believe this girl. Was she trying to kill him? He breathed out hot air, unfreezing the liquid, and placing the half empty cup down. He made a mental note to stay away from things she could control with bending. He sighed and looked up at her. He eyes were squinting in anger this time. He smiled smugly. She couldn't get rid of him that easily.

"Daughter," her father said, the looks he and Katara were sharing past, unnoticed by the others. "Would you care to show Prince Zuko around the castle when you have finished your breakfast?"

"Father, you know I would love to, but I have lessons to attend to," She looked down as if she was actually upset by this.

"Nonsense, Katara," The King outwardly laughed. "Hasn't anyone told you that your lessons have been cancelled for the following month?" He asked her, as the generals looked from one to the other. Sokka inwardly winced. She was going to get even angrier now.

"What? Why?" He knew that she was trying so hard to keep her voice in control, so hard to keep up appearances and not embarrass her father in front of the generals. He turned his head in Katara's direction. _Man,_ he thought. _If looks could kill, their father would be died already. _

"Why, because Prince Zuko is here, and since he's only staying for a month I thought you could keep him company and be the host I can't be, since I'll be too busy running the place. Besides, everyone knows that you don't need those lessons any more Katara." The look he gave her, told her not to comment, that she shouldn't say anything more in the matter, but since when had Katara listened and not commented about something she was strongly against? She was fuming now, though trying to keep up a stoic mask of indifference at the same time.

"Why father," again Sokka was surprised at how levelled her voice sounded. He wondered how she did it. Of course, she'd had plenty of practice beforehand. "You know that Sokka would make a much better host than I". He just laughed.

"I'm sure that the Prince would love your company Katara," He said with a smile. She turned her head away from him to look Zuko levelly in the eye.

"When you're ready Prince Zuko," Sokka nudged his sister and gave her a look.

"_Don't even think about doing anything to him," _He mouthed to her. She glared in return. It seemed like they were all plotting against her! She didn't like it one bit. Zuko cleared his throat. The tension against them hung heavy. He looked up at Katara for what seemed like the millionth time since they sat down.

"I'm ready." With that she excused herself and rose from her seat walking away from the seated men. He excused himself as well, then towed after her, trying to catch up. Once the two had left, Hakoda turned his attention to his son.

"Keep an eye on them, but from a distance and make sure she doesn't cause any trouble. I don't need more things to pile up with my duties," He told Sokka quietly, the conversation unheard by the generals still seated at the table. Sokka gave his father a curt nod and also excused himself, walking in the direction he saw them head.

"What the hell was that?" Zuko asked her, breaking the silence that was driving him mad. First she tries to kill him, and now she was ignoring him.

"What was what?" She replied innocently. They were inside the palace now. She led them through the hallways in complete silence before he broke it off. He looked to see if anyone was around. To his luck though, they were the only ones in sight. He reached out and grabbed her wrist, turning her around so that she now faced him. He kept hold off it, in case she would continue walking hastily and ignore him once more. She looked down at their hands and a frown crossed her face.

"Why the hell did you kick me?" he was pretty sure there was a bruise forming. Darn all female shoes. "And why the hell did you freeze my tea?" She tried removed her hand from his grasp, but he wouldn't budge.

"Is that clear that enough to show you that I don't like your presence?" She said coolly. His brows furrowed in anger.

"Firstly, I would to point out to you that you can't get rid of me that easily." Just when she was about to say something, he continued. "And secondly, I'm sorry about this whole situation altogether. Mind you that it didn't start out this way. You see, our fathers were discussing a treaty. Of course, I didn't know that until I arrived here and your father informed me of it. My father told me that I should relax and start travelling, see the world we live in, so he sent me to the Southern Water Kingdom. When I arrived, I had a meeting with the King of this land, your father. He told me everything. Like the fact that I would be saying for a month. That he has two children and he lost his Queen a few years back, that the two Kingdoms would hopefully be joined together by a marriage. Our marriage. I know that this is a hard thing to process, seeing as I had to process it and get over it in a day, but no one is forcing you into anything. You have a choice Princess. Can't we just spend time together and see how things turn out? Just give me a chance." He asked, pleadingly. His golden orbs bore into her cerulean ones.

"I don't care how sincere enough your little speech sounded, or how many information you gained from my father about our family, but this doesn't change _anything. _ I hate you with every ounce of my body right now, and I don't think that will change. I'm not marrying you, _I don't even know you!_ And _no _that doesn't mean we should try to get to know each other!" She told him after seeing his mouth open so that he could say something. "I can do anything I want, whether it pleases you or not. This is my home, not yours and that won't ever change! Now let go of my hand before someone walks in here and sees you drabbing onto it for your dear life and allow me to start the tour so I could get away from you faster!" He let go of her hand, stunned at how angry she got. _Was he that bad? That this girl, this princess, despised him before she even knew him? Could it have been his scar or his Kingdom's history perhaps? _He continued to gaze at her, his mouth still gaping open as her fierce eyes nearly run shivers down his spine.

Her breathing was still laboured from all that shouting a moment ago. She continued to breathe in and out until her breathe controlled. She turned around and continued walking, him following her steps.

"You know," he started again, breaking the silence once more. "I'm not going to give up, not until you give me a chance." She just huffed in annoyance and continued to walk.

From the end of the corridor, Sokka heard the whole exchange. He had walked in, still on his way to find the pair when he heard Zuko break the silence and revealing their whereabouts, just in time to stop too. Sokka was just about to turn into the corridor. He also wondered why Katara blew up. It wasn't like her to get this angry. He admired the Prince for not giving up. He showed such determination, such fierceness, and stubbornness; it made him wonder why he was the one related to Katara. He was glad that Zuko wasn't giving up, even when he knew that Katara would only make things during his stay harder on him. He finally turned and started walking. He of course, had a plan of his own. It was sort of on the same lines of his father. Get Katara to marry Zuko, one because he was good for her and two because he hated the idea of his sister and Jet together.

Sokka skidded to a stop, as the realization hit him hard. _Jet!_ He was the reason for her anger! For as long as Sokka remembered, Jet had been trying to court Katara. The guy was handsome and the girls admired his look. Also, like Katara put it, he was charming. The whole Palace knew that there was something between the two. And he loathed every second of it. The rumours he heard. The things Jet would do to please his young sister, all of it. He hated everything about the boy. This was a great chance to get rid of him, once and for all. In many ways, Zuko and Jet were alike. That still didn't mean stand Jet.

And he had to get Katara and Zuko together before the Jerk returned. He loved his sister, which was the exact reason why he was doing this for her. He didn't want to see his sister with Jet ever again. Sokka continued walking, listening to Zuko's voice as it lead him around their palace. He just had to stop her from killing him first then work on how she was going to fall for him. He knew that once Katara would fall, she would fall hard. He sighed. Matchmaking was much more difficult than it seemed. 

**A/N: I have a few things to point out (Should have wrote this with the first chapter but eh...). Firstly, Kya is also dead in the fic. The Four Nations still stand (obviously) but will be called Kingdoms instead. The rest of the Characters will appear. (Jet, Aang, Toph, Iroh etc.) They can bend (also obvious), The War (keep reading and you'll find out), Aang is still the Avatar in this fic... and I think that's about it. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask :D **

**Pls Review [; I'll write faster! **


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